Monthly Archives: December 2015

Candidate for U.S. Senate, Deborah Ross, visited Local 553’s hall on Friday, Dec. 18th. The leadership team of the local discussed a variety of topics with her. Ross was a representative in the NC State House for many years, and has been endorsed by the AFL-CIO in the past.

Ross grew up in Philadelphia around many tradesmen of all stripes, so unions were a part of life for her. She has always defended the worker; her record on labor issues has been exemplary. During our meeting, we discussed the current NC Senate primaries and election for the upcoming year, and Ms. Ross stated she has always been a friend of labor, and her record proves it.

With all of the solar farms that we have seen popping up in our jurisdiction and putting IBEW members to work, we also asked about what she would do to attract more sustainable power to the state. Ross said she would increase tax breaks and incentives to encourage wind, solar, and other renewable energy companies to set up shop here. Also essential to her platform was infrastructure investment, as the basis of a good economy is good infrastructure.

As far as labor issues, Ross sees wage stagnation, underemployment, and workers losing benefits as major setbacks for all of North Carolina’s workers. In fact, she stated that “wage stagnation was, by far, the biggest issue facing North Carolina workers in all trades”, and that unions are essential moving forward to ensure that all workers have a living wage and retain benefits in an ever-changing economic outlook.

We here at Local 553 wish Ms. Ross luck in the Democratic primaries on March 15th!

*IBEW 553 does not endorse candidates for political office during the primary season.*

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The IBEW represents approximately 750,000 active members and retirees who work in a wide variety of fields, including utilities, construction, telecommunications, broadcasting, manufacturing, railroads and government. The IBEW has members in both the United States and Canada and stands out among the American unions in the AFL-CIO because it is among the largest and has members in so many skilled occupations.
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